The NTSB – National Transportation Safety Board – hopes that all US States will have mandatory helmet laws. At this day 20 states have such laws. The NTSB points out the fact that there was 4,400 deaths nationwide for 2009 and says that a law requiring all riders to wear a helmet will reduce that number. And while the NTSB states motorcycle deaths have increased over the last decade, the MTSA – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – shows they’re lower than they’ve been in years. As a matter of fact, the number of deaths went down in 2009 versus 2007 and 2008 with each year showing over 5000 motorcyclist deaths.

Not surprisingly, all motorcyclist organizations oppose any mandatory laws forcing riders to wear helmets because they would infringe on their rights. Most bikers continue to think that wearing or not a helmet should remain their own choice. The NTSB states that bikers continue to iggnore the cost to taxpayers and governments of picking up the pieces, and the tab, when they crash. It put helmet laws on its annual “most wanted” safety improvement list, and urged states to instate, or reinstate, them.

Almost all states once had them, when they were part of the requirements to receive federal highway funding, but once Congress scratched that obligation off the list, many helmet laws were significantly watered down or junked.

43 Responses to “US Government NTSB Pushing Again For Mandatory Helmet Use”

I’m suprised that the insurance industry hasn’t demaned it by now, or if you weren’t wearing one when you had an accident that they would not pay your claim. You can bet you ass that they are behind the new push..they already get what ever they want from repubs congress..Helmet protests will not deter them..they defeated the public health care plan when a majority of the country wanted it (78%) with help from the repubs. Obama care does not have a public health care plan in it, you have to purchase insurance so don’t try blaming it on him..He tried..but got NO from the repubs..

What the hell does Obama have to do with helmets?!?!? He is a spineless xxx xxx but has nothing to do with this. The interesting thing is when you actually look at the stats. you will find out that motorcycle deaths due to head injury are very low. A very large part of the deaths are people with out a scratch on their head. Internal injury is number one. Do some research and you will be surprised what they actually know and what they claim are completly different things

Here we go again, People who have shown over and over again that they can’t deal with difficult, important problems turn their efforts instead to meddling and peddling. Can’t figure out Global Warming-change a speed limit or issue a rebate on something. Economy illusive-work on apple pie regulation or helmet laws.

The democrats didn’t screw up anything! It’s not because you have control of both the house and the senate that you can resolve all the economic issues and many others left by the republicans. No republican is able to state clearly what they would do better. They just try to get reelected by handicapping the Obama administration.

If you support this administration then you to must be a communist/marxist/socialist/ anti-American who I do not want in my society or country that I love and fought for. You can not justify anything that man has done with any common sense argument.

More needless legislation, for a self-solving evolutionary problem. Bikers are a diverse crowd, but you can’t help noticing the most vocal no-helmet supporters are the kind of folk I wouldn’t necessarily miss. Gary Busey being the obvious exception.

DJ. So, half the country is socialist/communist/marxist ???? You are nuts. You probably never graduated from high school, so never studied/learned about socialism/communism/marxism. It’s with idiots like you that the republicans find support to oppose the greatest president ever. You will know in 2 years, or never because you don’t understand anything about political systems. Republicans work for the rich with the blind support of red necks like you.

Democrats and Republicans alike are both pathetic. Most everything they do is a strategy for the next elections to try and gain the majority. Very few politicians, and it is a crying shame, try to make decisions for the best interest of this country. The big and more important question is how to change washington to start doing what is right and stop playing partisan political strategies…anyways. We have proved, meaning the States Motorcycle Rights Organizations and the Motorcycle Riders Foundations that education saves more motorcyclist lives than helmets. It is simple “Crash avoidance versus Safter Crashing” You might be able to make cars and trucks safer to crash in but to think that you can make it safer to crash on a motorcycle is absurd. Riders education through riders training programs and motorcycle awareness to the public have been the key to reduction in fatalities the last couple of years.
As far as the insurance companies, there are plenty of risky or extreme activities that people participate in like surfing, skydiving, snowmobiling, football, boxing…..we could all go on and to single out motorcyclist and make a helmet mandate is just wrong.
So…..if you ride…..I hope you belong to a States Motorcycle Rights Organization and/or a Federal Motorcycle Rights Organization…….if not……what are you waiting for? Keep moving towards a FREE AMERICA

Man, if they start that down here in Florida, there’s gonna be hell to pay……there are too many scooter folk down here that just ain’t gonna lay down – I’d say they’re gonna be a costly handful for the politicians to handle.

learned a long time ago: the only difference between a republican and a democrate-ones in power and the other one wants to be, it isn’t going to make any difference in my walet other than both are trying to empty it.

wow, like almost zero comments about the OP. I wear my helmet because I have a family and if I crash I don’t want to be a burden on them. A helmet does not guarantee I’ll walk away from a crash but it increases the chances. I live in PA, which does not have a helmet law for licensed riders after the first year of riding.

I do not recall every reading “The RIGHT to ride with the wind in your hair” in the Constitution, The Bill of Rights or even the 10-Commandments. I love how people say safety laws infringe on their rights. It’s a right to bounce your head off the pavement without a helmet? It’s a right to get into a speeding bullet and become a projectile to everyone else in the car when you crash? It’s bull and they know it. People who crack their skulls because they did not have a helmet on often get life long medical care at the tax payers expense and if they do have insurance…well, maybe that’s why I pay 1,200 a year to cover my chopper.

As for the mullet wearing geriatric crowd in FL that “won’t lay down for it.” Let’s see how much they lay down when they get popped for a $150.. fine every time they get caught not wearing one.

zyon,
While I don’t agree with everything here I too wear a helmet, even in states that don’t require it for the same reasons you mention. My guess would be the FL folks really won’t like it if there’s a helmet law, they have an accident without one, and become a nursing home resident and their insurance won’t pay the bill because they were violating the law. Lots of states now reduce or prohibit payment of workers compensation if the employee was violating safety laws when injured and it’s only a matter of time before it starts happening everywhere. The insurance companies have all the money so they make all the rules.

Outlaw cigarettes but try and leagalize marijuana? Make motorcycle riders wear a helmet because 4000 plus people are killed per year. They kill 50,000 people per year (after seatbelt laws were enacted) in cars and trucks so why not make them wear helmets? how many people are killed by alcohol use every year? Why don’t they outlaw booze?
It all boils down to a few people telling you what is good for everybody.
Here’s a flash, none of us get out of here alive. Let us live the way we want to. It’s called the land of the Free (or use to be!)

It is interesting to see the people drawn into the helmet vs no-helmet argument. Many statistically, factual arguments can be made to support either point of view.

Arguing those points are wasting time.

The key issue here is whether or not you, as an individual, believe that this federal government can demand that you wear a plastic hat in order to operate a motorcycle at any age. If you currently wear a helmet or if you currently do not wear a helmet, you have made that choice, not the government.

This helmet requirement is a blackmail issue. The federal government loves compliance blackmail of weak states. Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey has his hand in this.

Next time you go to a event and Allstate, Geico, Pregressive assholes have a booth explain to them about your dislike for mandatory Helmand laws instead of being nice and taking the free garbage they hand out. When they sponsor a event tell the promoter your feelings about helmet laws and the insurance companies.

People driving cars while using cell phones or texting kill more people than could supposedly be saved by forcing riders to wear helmets. Why not go after them? If you’re a minor, you wear a helmet. That I’d be ok with but otherwise big govt needs to stay out.

Why do they have multiple levels of rider safety training courses for motorcyclists but once you manage to get a license to drive a car there is nothing. There should be more car operator training requirements and they should increase the licensing age to 18 at a minimum.

Stop the Boat, THis article says that the Government has noticed a certain amount of deaths due to motorcycle crashes. who cares? the Government has no duty to protect our life. (nor do they want to) The Government is however saddled with the responsibility of protecting our rights. I suggest everyone do a word search of the constitution for the word “SAFETY” Then look at what the founders thought about trading freedoms for safety before we enact any law.

Mike Greenwald hit it on the head. Forget insurance companies, Repubs or Dems, all of which drags everyone down into a quagmire of who’s right, who’s left or who’s on first. Stupid. The question is how far will we allow the federal government to trample on state’s rights? This is a state’s issue, and at least half of the states got it right. It’s a matter of personal choice, period. I don’t try to convince others not to wear a helmet, but for some reason the pro-helmet people like to call me names or accuse me of being stupid for not wearing a helmet. I’m a professional, 65 years old, a licensed EMT and able to decide what to wear for myself. It’s that simple. If you want to talk stupid, I believe those who blindly accept statistics from NHTSA or NTSB (which studied only 6 motorcycle crashes) are the stupid ones. Same with the polls that are conducted each time this comes up. Recent polls shows a modest difference of pro and con. Why is apathetic America to divided and confused about personal choice issues? Have a poll about a strip club or fast food restaurant opening in your neighborhood, and the results will likely be a landslide. But when it comes to right’s issues or personal freedoms, we can’t make up our mind who is right. I’m a sovereign citizen, which is the highest office in the land, despite what the White House Press Secretary might tell you. If you can’t figure that out, or don’t agree, you’re stupid. Put your helmet on and leave me alone.

Everyone has an opinion and that is fine. Some are made emotionally others by facts and even some on false information. The thing is to make a decision for what is best for you and let the other person make the decision on what is best for them.
Here are some facts pertaining to Mandatory Helmet Laws. Back in the 70’s the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) attempted to force states to pass 5 different laws. The laws were 55 Miles Per Hour Speed Limit, Mandatory Seat Belts, Mandatory Helmet for Motorcyclist, Lower the Blood Alcohol Content to 1.2 and something to do with school buses.
The states were ordered to pass one law a year or face loosing highway funds. It should be noted that these funds originally come from the states in the form of gasoline and other taxes.
The first attempt was the 55 Mile Per Hour Speed Limit. The people of this country said No Way and that was shelved.
Thinking the motorcycle riders were a minority many states passed that law. The motorcyclist soon got organized and protested the law. They way that was done is to get a ticket and fight it in court. This tied up the court system and ended up costing the states a lot of money and even some felons being released because of not getting a speedy trial.
While the court cases were going on legislators were contacted and repeal bills were introduced in many states. Riders in many cases rode to their capitols to show their support for the repeal and or protest against the law.
While this was going on other motorcyclist went to Washington to find out why the Federal Government was allowing Blackmail and Extortion to be used by the NHTSA.
At these hearings the motorcyclist won, the threat of withholding funds was removed and numerous states then repealed the Mandatory Laws.
This is Very Important! Motorcyclist WON Over Politicians, Special Interest Lobbyist and Safety Nannies.
Not to give up these people and groups with the leadership of Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey have every year tried to reintroduce the Mandatory Helmet Law Nationwide.
This year Lautenberg is on all the transportation committees of the Federal Government and he is using that power to push for a win over the motorcyclist who beat him and his associates many years ago.
The thing that is Important For All Motorcyclist To Understand Is: If these people win they know that the motorcycle riders have given up and they will then be able to pass any laws they want against them.
No matter what your personal feelings on wearing a helmet is Do Not Let These Politicians Win!
This is no longer just about helmets, it is about the future as well. Remember without a Mandatory Law Everyone Has Freedom Of Choice to Wear One or Not!

The federal govt has no right or authority to tell someone that helmets are mandatory….Period…The End. Until the citizens stand up for their rights, we will continue to be forced to abide by needless laws that continue to diminish our freedoms as set out in the Constitution. This issue will probably end up as the motorcyclist can pay a ‘fee’ and not wear the helmet. Minority groups, such as Motorcyclists, smokers & gun owners will continue to be ‘at risk’.

I suppose they will seek a way to make rubbers mandatory in the near future.

Live in Florida, do not wear a Mullet or a helmet and don’t see whether it’s anyone’s business as to whether or not I use a condom.

just three comments, then I am going to start enjoying my long weekend.
1.)
I just love the way numbers are throw around without all the information. I just spent over an hour searching for a breakdown of motorcycle deaths by state, whether the rider was wearing a helmet, if the death was related to not wearing a helmet.
2.)
Just because the state does not have a helmet law doesn’t mean riders don’t wear helmets. I live in AZ, a state that lets the motorcyclist decide. The latest poll shows almost 70% of riders choose to wear a helmet. Still you see, day after day, riders in shorts, boat shoes and a tank top wearing a full face helmet. If he crashes he too will be a burden on his family, his insurance company, and his community. Where do we draw the line?
3.)
For those who question if it is our “right” to wear/ not wear a helmet. The Tenth Amendment says: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the people.”
That means if it’s not covered in the constitution, then let the people decide.

Olive Oil
Will you please explain to me what makes a helmet DOT approved and where I can get a list that the Federal and or State Goverment say are in compliance.
If I am going to have to buy a helmet I want to make sure it is one approved by the goverment and not someone telling me their helmet is.

Don’t get a government approved helmet, are you nuts? That Oli Rig out in the gulf was government approved, need I say more?
The government has never had the authority to mandate any kind of safety protection for anyone other than government employees. they got away with blackmail, withholding tax payers dollars from the states that didn’t mandate helmet laws, in the past and I for one do not want to return to those days. The days we live in now are screwed up enough.
As to the politics of it all: Pull a coin out of your pocket and flip it in the air, heads it’s rep., tails it’s Dem. but it’s still the same coin, one coin one party, it’s all the same and both parties play off of one another to our detriment. Take the helmets with the black spray painted shields off your heads and get rid of all those slimy no good sonsof b***th**…………………..

For you, I wonder if a mandatory seatbelt on your motorcycle might have prevented you from bouncing or if training wheels may have helped. Possibly a judicious use of brakes may have helped.
I suppose that if the government didn’t tell you, urge you, compel you, or force you to do or not do anything that you could not function.

i kinda thought it was about freedom …the freedom to make your own choice……..you can argue the stastics and why and why not but the bottom line is how much of our everyday choices do you want to give up to the fed gov ,….that i feel is what dictates which side of the fence your on …….did some dude actually say obama was the greatest president?…maby there is no hope left

If we’re talking about saving lives, shouldn’t we focus on the largest demographic? Since many, many more cagers die from head injuries, why not force them all to wear helmets?

Because they don’t want to wear them any more than we do, that’s why. Yet they foolishly believe if they can slap a helmet on all motorcyclists, then they can run us down with impunity as they yak away on their cell phones, since the press has them convinced that no one can be injured in any way while wearing a helmet.

And here’s a little secret that’s absolutely true. Who do you think is the single biggest lobbyist for mandatory helmet laws in every state? Who spends the most money by far year after year trying to make mandatory helmet use a federal law? That’s right, the insurance industry.

But not for the reasons you might think. It’s not because they’re concerned for our safety; they could care less if we all died tomorrow. No, their motive is the oldest one of all, greed. The bottom line, the almighty buck. Here’s how it works:

Since the overwhelming majority of accidents involving a car and a motorcycle are the car driver’s fault (statistical fact), insurance companies almost always end up paying a huge settlement to the motorcyclist on behalf of their careless cager client. As you know, hitting a motorcycle isn’t like hitting another car, it’s far more deadly and far more expensive than a dented fender.

In every state that has a helmet law but then repeals that law (like my state, Florida), motorcycle registrations soar, absolutely without exception. Conversely, in states that have no helmet law but then enact one, motorcycle registrations plummet, again, without exception. These are easily checked facts.

Also, when a helmet law is repealed, motorcyclists on average ride many more miles due to not being as uncomfortable. And again, the reverse holds true. Consequently, the more motorcycles on the road and the more miles they travel, the more motorcycle accidents there will be. That’s not just a statistical fact, it’s simple logic.

The insurance industry figured all this out years ago. Simply by reducing the number of motorcycles and miles traveled, they can save billions of dollars in claims each and every year. And what’s the most effective way to get motorcyclists to ride less or stop riding altogether? Force them to wear a helmet. But not just any helmet, it has to be so big and heavy that it actually causes physical pain if worn for long.

And what’s the most effective way to force giant helmets on all motorcyclists? Bribe politicians, pay off journalists, sponsor big ad campaigns and convince cagers (aka the vast majority of voters) that they’ll no longer have to worry about killing or injuring bikers once we’re all wearing Kazoo-style helmets.

And yes, it’s true that most motorcycle deaths are caused by blunt force trauma, not head injuries. It’s also true that the majority of riders who do die from head injuries die wearing DOT-labeled helmets. Even the government admits no helmet is effective at speeds above 15 mph.

DantheGrey
I was trying to be a wise guy or wise ass which ever fits.
I was trying to make the pont that the people who make helmets are the ones that certify them and not actually the DOT.
If helmets actually work Why has the Goverment Failed to Supply The Consumer With A List Of Helmets They Approve?
They want to tell us we must wear a helmet and in some cases other equipment for safety reasons. This translates into they think we are to stupid to decide for ourselves what is best for us.
So since the motorcyclists are looked at as stupid how can they decide logiclly if a helmet is safe or not with out the Goverment Stating which ones are and which are made by a company just to make money.
I contend that the Goverment realizes this and are playing both sides of the fence and accepting money from helmet companies, the insurance industry and who ever else and do not want to take the liability if a consumers is injured and or killed of head injuries while wearing a helmet they approved.
In some cases helmets have actually caused injuries.
Lets get back to Let Those Who Ride Decide and I mean that as each individual decide for themselves and not what another motorcyclist should do.
Less Goverment in our lives would be better for all of us.

Hey Olive oil.. This whole until you experienced your head bouncing off the road thing.. The point is it is MY CHOICE.. I don’t need any government(state or federal)mandating to me ANYTHING.. Next thing you know they will start requiring you buy insurance from them..HA! like that will ever happen! They don’t know better then me what I need to keep me safe.

Just been reading the various exchanges between the pro and anti helmet groups. On this side of the pond we have been wearing helmets for so long that the idea of riding without one is like going for a blast naked. There can be no doubt that a good well-fitting helmet enhances the chance of survival in an inadvertant dismount, (we also tend to wear full leathers with body armour and serious gloves and boots) but then we also have crowded roads and go quite quickly on occasion, derestricted, no top speed limit German autobahns come to mind for instance. Yes good helmets are expensive, I personally use a Shark RSR2 carbon fibre jobbie (about $600) quiet, comfortable and confidence inducing.
Regardless of the politics and coercion its ultimately a matter of personal choice, personally I would not ride without one (and my other protective gear) Been riding fifty years mind, still here though!

There are a whole lot of “facts” and “statistics” here but not one link, study or article provided to back up any of it. I’m not a fan of the current or last few administrations but I think it’s funny that everyone thinks everything is a “right.”

So, I have the right to burn down my home in the middle of the night. The constitution does not prohibit it so therefore, the state or government can bring no charges against me if I do it? I bet my insurance company might have an issue with it since they would have to pay out. Your rights end where the next person’s starts and I have a right not to take care of your because you don’t want to wear a helmet because the big bad man tells you that you have to… It’s like my two year old crying because I want him to go to bed.

It seems to me if I owned an insurance company and I was constantly paying out for head injuries I would lobby for stricter helmet laws too. Seriously, these insurance companies do more studies and investigations than most government agencies because it’s their bottom line at stake.

Would every biker on this blog who “chooses” not to wear a helmet sign an affidavit stating they forgo all insurance clams if they sustain a head injury due to falling off their motorcycle?Also, will you sign the necessary paperwork to ensure the government (federal, state and local) doesn’t fork over 1 cent of MY MONEY to take care of your healthcare needs? Somehow I highly doubt it.

Thank you to the last poster @zyon – listen ride with nothing on I could care less. But if you do ride without a helmet you should be required by LAW to forgo your rights to medical care you cannot pay for out of your own pocket or via legitimate insurance.

I do not want to pay for your freedoms when then do not work out the way you intended.

No insurance no problem – no helmet no problem – please be sure to alert your family and loved ones that you will be left to die after your accident if you have no insurance. You forego your right to tax payer medical benefits if you decide to not follow simple rules.

Dont ask me or my state to pay for any of your health care costs because you wants your freedom – no problem at all, just don’t ask me to help you ok? Deal?

So tired of hearing people talk about this helmet vs. no helmet issue – its so simple – I could care less if you wear a helmet – just do not make me pay for you when you ride your bike into a ditch and end up with an avoidable brain injury – is that cool? Ok great!!

Whew the debate goes on, Zyon and John may be hitting on the pressing real issue of pressure, pressure from payouts and those that payout; It’s all about the money. it is not about safety or safety concerns, Most don’t care if you die they care if you live and become a burden, a burden of the payout from an insurance company or from the state to keep you alive the cost of medical care for TBI.

The rights debate and are ever increasing losses of our rights is a whole lot more than about helmets and the silent mass audience may be waking up on that reality across the board.

As far as stats; one can read/interpret them to fit their debate point of view but some are consistent if you go down on a bike and you will if you ride, noting the average rider put a little over a thousand miles a year on the bike, you will get hurt, if you hit your head you will be hurt more,. If you have no insurance others will pay, minimal insurance will never pay/cover the cost for TBI, Tramatic Brain Injury. Those that it affects their dividend and/or bottom line or thise responsible for the State coffers lobby for mandates not to save and care for you but to save/reduce the almighty dollar impact on them.

As far as those into stats see below links and an excerpt of a commentor on another blog on this debate:

I have been in correspondence with a member of the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) and the Special Crash Investigation Division of the U.S. Department Of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and received the following information today (2001 figures with 2002 figures available this week):

Number of motorcycles involved in reported accidents (injuries, death or property damage) per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 776.57 while the number of passenger cars involved in such accidents per 100 million miles traveled was only 423.13. In other words, you are almost twice as likely to be in an accident riding a motorcycle than riding in a passenger car. This is completely opposite to what I have asserted in previous messages. I stand corrected.

The fatality rate per 100,000 registered motorcycle was 64.88 while the number of fatalities per 100,000 registered passenger cars was only 15.72. In other words, motorcycle accidents are four times more likely to be deadly than are passenger car accidents. This is consistent with what I have said in the past.

Now for the most interesting fact, as it relates to the theme of my previous message:

The number of people injured per 100,000 registered motorcycles was 1,229 while the number of injuries per 100,000 registered passenger cars was 1,497. In other words, you ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE INJURED on a motorcycle than in a passenger car. THAT is the ‘fact’ that I have failed to clearly state in my earlier assertions. (1.5% of all registered motorcycles were involved in an accident with injury in the year 2000 while a full 5% of all registered passenger cars were involved in an accident with injury in the same year.)

However! Miles ridden makes all the difference in the world! It turns out, for example, that the average motorcycle was ridden only 1,943 miles in the year 2001 while the average passenger car was ridden for 12,311 miles. As the survey on this site demonstrates, the greater the number of miles you have ridden on a motorcycle, the greater the odds that you have been involved in an accident. In fact, based on the NHTSA data I received, there were 632 injuries per each 100 million motorcycle miles ridden as compared to only 122 injuries per 100 million passenger car miles ridden. That’s right, despite there being fewer injuries per registered motorcycle than per registered passenger car, there were nearly SIX TIMES MORE INJURIES per motorcycle mile ridden than per car mile ridden. (This argues that a LOT of registered motorcycles are not ridden at all!)

What I find very interesting about this is the idea of how the federal government’s decisions on public safety can infringe on personal freedom. Where to draw the line? Whilst I do think every single biker should be wearing a helmet, I don’t think I know enough about the system to decide whether this falls in the federal or state government’s purview…

Yes, motorcycle helmets have caused some injuries, and they’ve exacerbated others. But they’ve also saved thousands of lives.